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AUTUMN WINDS, 



C)iKcir ^oem^^ 



J.^STRICKER BRADFORD. 



NEW YORK : 
ROBERT M . MALCOLM 

1877. 



^'■.^•' 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1876. 

By GEORGE S. WILCOX, 

In the Clerk's office of the District Court of the United States for the 

Southern District of New York. 



34285 







::i 



THIS LITTLE VOLUME 



IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 



THE AUTHOR 



HIS FRIENDS OF EARLY DAYS. 



PREFACE. 



The author submits this little volume to the public as a 
reprint of a volume, bearing the same title, printed in Decem- 
ber 1 868, but suppressed before many copies had been cir- 
culated. 

The matter then printed has been carefully revised for this 
volume which contains several additional poems. 

Although a period of eight years has elapsed since the date 
of this first publication, the preface of the original volume, 
being as applicable now as then in explantion of the sentiments 
of the author, is submitted entire — as follows : 

" In offering these casual effusions to the public, the author 
would beg leave to call attention to those having a political 
tendency, with the explanation that, being a native of a South- 
ern State and a resident in the South at the opening of the Re- 
bellion, and having foreseen its approach, his sentiments, 
while strongly in sympathy with his Section, were, until the 
actual outbreak, even more strongly in favor of the peaceful 
maintenance of the Union, as exemplified on pages 20, 21 and 
22, the dates of which are appended. But subsequently, having 
joined the Southern current, his later sentiments are clearly 
portrayed in the lines on later pages. 



prf:face, 



" Most of these political poems were published at or about 
their dates, in the local papers of his residence. 

" Deeming that now, when the bitterness engendered by 
the war is passing away, it becomes the duty of every ci:izen of 
a common country to cast his drop of oil on the waters, he 
hopes that neither sectional feeling or party prejudice will too 
severely criticise the tone or merit of sincere expressions of 
sentim.ent." 

J.S.B. 

WASHiN(.'r()N, 1). C, Dec. I, 1876. 



C (J N T E Is T S . 



PAGE 

Autumn Winds - - - - . - i3 

A Text .--.-- i5 
Nameless _...-- i6 

Old Virginia Land - - - - ^^ 

Acrostics - - - - - 20, 21 

Hymn for the Nation - - - - 22 

Maryland Battle Song - - - - 24 

An Invocation ----- ^^ 

28 



To AN OLD Portrait - - - - 

Charade (Stone-wall) - - - -30 

A Prisoner ------ 32 

The Past, Present and Future of 1862 - 33 

M(JUNT Vernon - - - - - 34 

Election Ode - - - - 38 

Spirit Land ------ 39 

In Memoriam ----- 4i 

Lines to a Lady ----- 43 

Flowers ------ 45 



TO 



CONTENTS. 



Thp: Prayer ok the Tempted 

Autumn's Eve 

Partings 

Would'st Thou Forc.et? 

Erin . . . . 

The Shipwreck 

Dreams - 

A Valentine 

Passion - . . . 

Time - - , - 

Clouds - . - - 

In Absence 

In "A. M's" Albi M - 

A Thouc^.ht 

Lines of the " Long Ago" - 

Enigma (Dam-age) 

Charade (Words- worth) 

An Indian Funeral in Mexico 

Wahinc; 

Hope 

Happiness 

Compensation 

Lines with a Rini; - 

Dor HP - - - 

Solace - . . - 



PAGE 
47 

49 
51 

54 
55 
56 
65 
^7 
69 

71 
73 
75 
77 
78 

79 
80 

81 

83 
88 
90 
92 

94 

96 

97 
98 



CONTENTS. 



II 



TiiK Switch . . - . 

Caiitons - . . . 

Cor RACK . - - - - 

FoKCET ThEK - - - - 

Patif.nce - - - . - 

CoLlMKlS _ - - - 

Hope On - 

The Kneli, of Time - 

Fragment No. i - 

Fr.hgment No. 2, The Mav-dav Picnic 

Fragment No. 3 - 

January ist, 1S55 



I'AGE 

99 
100 
102 
103 
105 
106 
109 
I II 
112 

113 
120 
122 



AUTUMN WINDS. 

What have the Autumn winds to tell 

To the red leafed trees as they sweep along 

And vibrate to the rising swell 

Their music makes in mournful song? 

They sing the dirge of youthful days, 

Whose tints were bright as the leaves they 
bear ; 

The saddened heart responsive prays, 
For another taste of the joys that were. 



14 AUTUMN WINDS 

They tell the tale of jjromise broke, 
Of Spring-time gone, of Summer fled 

And echo with the words we spoke 
In whispers 'ere our Spring was dead. 

They sing the dirge of withered leaves, 
Of blighted faith, of broken trust; 

They sing of mis-spent years, whose sheaves 
Were garnered not, but left to rust. 



A TEXT 



A TEXT. 

'As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." 
— LuKK, c. 6 ; V. 31. 

A Christian maxim that but few men keep; 

A noble motto that should guide the good; 
The seed from which we richest harvest reap ; 

A simple text we all have understood. 

Were but these words inscribed on every heart 
To curb the hasty actions of our lives; 

How few would suffer from the wounds and smart 
Ofconsciei.ee, which some selfish deed survives. 

How sweetly peaceful would each death-bed be, 
When in the vivid retrospect of years, 

The wearied souls looks forth upon the sea 
That breaks beyond this mortal vale of tears. 



i6 AUTUMN WINDS. 



NAMELESS. 



Who hath not felt a mystic dread 

A nameless terror creep, 
Across his soul, as memory fled 
Back to the uncertain depths and spread 

A pall, vague dark and deep; 
Portentous as of threatening ill, 
To dimly, indistinctly fill 

And in strange bondage keep 
The pulses of the heart, as though 
Some pre-existent act would throw 

A shadow o'er his path ? 
A simple word may forge the chain 
But mental effort is all vain 

To break the hold it hath : 
With vague pre-science over-wrought 
And formless apprehension fought : 

Is this the shade of wrath ? 



NAMELESS. i? 

Or of impending woe the shade 
By Premonition's force displayed ? 

Or some abnormal state 
Of mind, or overworking brain, 
That poiseless from exciting strain. 

Life's fantasies dilate ? 
Or from dark Chaos when the Past 
Its terrors leave, or omen's cast 

By stern relentless fate ? 

Mysterious monitor you come 
With odors of the silent tomb 

In ghost-like warning grim : 
The human mind must bow to thee, 
Thou super-human mystery — 

Thou shadow, pale and dim ! 



t8 AUTUMN WINDS. 



OLD VIRGINIA LAND. <■' 

Can'st thou, in lonely hours of night. 
When absent from my arm and love, 

Forget the sunshine, pure and bright, 
That warmed the hill-side and the grove 
In Old Virginia Land ? 

Can'st thou forget liovv tbndly then, 
We oft-times wander'd side by side, 

And plucked the wild (lowers in the glen, 
Or watched the rippling brooklet's tide — 
In Old Virginia 1 and ? 

Can'st thou forget the evening shade 
On the vine-wreath'd porch at home; 

Or the moss-grown turf of the silent glade. 
Where the Beech-spring waters foam — 
In Old Virginia Land ? 



OLD VIRGINIA LAND. 19 

And can'st thou, not while far away 

Where nortliern winds and skies are cold. 

Sometimes permit thy thought to stray 
In memory to the times of old — 
In Old Virginia Land? 



20 AUTUMN WINDS. 

ACROSTICS. 
I. 

Grant that thy wisdom's mantle yet may fall, 
Encircling some brave soul with saving might 

Or that, responsive to a Nation's call, 

Reason may dawn dispersing faction's night: 

Grant that the Future in our land may he 

Enduring Union, Peace and Liberty! 

^\'ould thou wer't here, Sage, Elero of thy Time 

Among dissensions and 'midst treasons rife; 
Secession standing on the verge of crime, 

Her nervous sons too eager for the strife: 
In the dark train Dis-Union comes — 

North against South, in armed, fierce array; 
Grant from our altars, and our homes. 

This gathering storm may pass away. 
Oh save thy country, if thy spirit can, 

Nor leave its memory to the sneers of man. 

* 

Baltimorh, Due. 25, i860. 



ACROSTICS. 21 



II. 



Triumphant flag, whose prestige gave 
Heaven-born hopes to good and brave, 
Exultantly thy glories wave. 

Secession's hand thy folds would stain, 
Treason and strife breed civil war 
Anarchy and crimes profane. 
Respect the compact, and maintain, 
Sacred, every Stripe and Star. 

Are we no longer Union's band, 
No longer in her ranks to stand ? 
Discord's arm would wield the brand ! 

Saving Banner, still thou 'It shine, 
To lead thy sons through battle fires; 
Remembrance of the souls divine 
In Hero-days, thy name inspires; 
Potent to us as to our sires. 
Eternal, bright, on History's page. 
Shall gleam thy stars, from age to age. 

liAi.TiMOKE, March lo, i36i. 



22 AUTUMN WINDS. 



HYMN 

FOR THE NATION. 

God of Mercy, guard and love us ; 
God of Justice, watch above us, 

In Faction's bondage strong : 
'Midst the dangers that surround us 
Mend the band that firmly bound us, 

And bound us for so long. 

Not as bands of iron bind us, 

As, perforce, they had confined us; 

But as with silken chain, 
Light of weight and fair to see, 
Firm of hold, but seeming free ; 

Oh, make it strong again. 



HYMN. 23 

Not with blood, to blur and stain it, 
Not by War, can we maintain it ; 

But Thy all helping hand 
Yet may save, where mortals falter; 
Should we bend us at Thy altar 

Will Thou not mend the band? 

Save us. Thou— who first did guide them, 
Save us. Thou — who stood beside them, 

Those heroes brave and free; 
Let bands fraternal still unite us, 
And Peace, with blessings, still delight us, 

While still we bow to Thee. 



March 20th, 1861. 



24 AUTUMN WINDS. 



MARYLAND BATTLE SONG.« 



Hark, to clang and crash of marching squadrons in 

the street, 
Hark to the martial music and the measured tramp 

of feet ; 
Old Maryland is roused and her sons in fierce 

array, 
In battle-harness bristling, stand eager for the fray. 

For hearth-stones and for homes, for sisters and 

for wives, 
For State-Rights and for honor, they stake their 

names and lives ; 
For the Hero-days of Old, when their dauntless 

Fathers stood; 
For North Point's battle-field, and " McHenry 

stained in blood. 



MARYLAND BATTLE SONG- 25 

By all these potent memories, to nerve our strong 

right arms ; 
By every manly instinct, that Southern courage 

warms ; 
On sacred soil we'll meet the foe, nor trust for 

Peace to words — 
But test our rights as freeman — at the points of 

gleaming swords. 

Baltimore, April 21st, 1861. 



26 AUTUMN WINDS. 



AN INVOCATION. 

Oh, save from fratricidal strains 

The hard right hands of those who go, 

A\'ith banded armies' bristling trains 
And A\'ar's concomitants of woe ; 
Where Rapine lurks and torches glow. 

Oh, stand in might between the brave, 
To curb their frenzy ! Raise Thy arm, 

In mercy, clothed with power to save ! 
Let Reason ring the first alarm. 
And Peace avert the threatening storm. 

Begin the war — and for all time 
The record of disgrace shall stand ; 

A glaring page of blood and crime, 
A burning stain of darkest brand, 
A blighting curse upon the land. 



AN INVOCATION. 27 

A by-word of contempt with men ; 

"I'ill marked throughout the world with 
scorn, 
They '11 point in mock'ry at us then, 

Our banners prostrate, soilM and torn ; 

Of prestige robbed, of honor shorn. 

Extend, Oh Lord, thy saving arm, 

And grant that Peace her wings expand, 

To shield us from the fierce alarm ; 

Ere flaming torch, and gleaming brand 
Shall desolate a once blest land. 



Annai'OLIS Jail, May 26, 1861. 

A Pkisonek oi' War. 



28 AUTUMN WINDS. 



TO y\N OLD PORTRAIT. 



In dingy frame all dark with mould, 

Tho' stains and dam}) its tints olTace, 
A ])ortrait — stern, and grim and old, 

I'he tyi)e of a determined race. 
With calm blue eye, 'neath frowning brow 

Where earnest thoughts wove lines of care 
Deeji furrowed by the driving plow 

Of rime, that furrows everywhere. 
A\'ith iron jaw and lij) comi)ressed ; 

W ith ragged beard, all streakVl with gray; 
A noble face but grief o})pressed — 

A Puritan of Cromwell's day. 

Say soldier of the olden time 

As now from out thy rusted frame 

'i'hou lookest in this Western clime 
On fratricidal war and shame ; 



TO y\N OLD PORIRArr. 29 

Are these cles(XMichints of tliy stock, 

Who rule tlie land with iron rod, 
Such men as first found riynioulii Rock, 

And landed there to worship (jod ? 
Is this the home where first they raised, 

Their temples by the sounding sea; 
\\'here first their guileless children ])raised 

The (jod who taught them to l)e free? 
Are these, who stain the South with gore 

Regardless of the W rong or Right, 
Such men as in the "days of yore," 

Had braved a boasting tyrant's might. 

Rlush, Soldier, in your dingy frame. 

And i)ray that time and damj) may hide 
Each feature, as is hid your name, 

While such inhuman deeds abide; 
And intercede before that throne. 

Where Puritans were wont to bow, 
For wisdom — as in old days shown — 

'i'o those wh(; rule the nation now. 



August, 1S62. 



so AUTUMN WINDS, 



CHARADE. 



Virginia's stronghold, wild and steep ; 
Where Shenandoah's waters leap 

'J'o join Potomac's flood. 
'Neath craggy mount, through rocky dell, 
The River's rushing torrents swell ; 

"r was there my first drank blood 
Of brethren slain — " to save the Right." 
Far better saved by vote than fight, 

Though bravely both sides stood. 

Where Bull Run's sluggish waters glide, 
The rebel army's horsemen ride 

Across the battle-field; 
Hy hill, and vale, and clump of wood. 



CHARADE. ^i 

In serried ranks batallions stood, 

Half-hid, and half-revealed. 
Behind my Second, close arrayed, 
With neither flag nor gun displayed. 

His men were all concealed. 
My whole, there gained the honored name 
That through the valley blazed like flame 

Where'er his volleys pealed. 



32 AUTUMN WINDS. 

A PRISONER, 

( ON RECEIVING FLOWERS FROM HOME-) 

As welcome symbols of the loved ye come 
To cheer the gloom that hangs about this cell, 

Laden with odors of the far-off home 
The brown leafed shrub, the lily's bell. 
And crimson rose, with fragrant smell. 

Fresh in your various tints as when 

Were first unfolded to the morning light, 

On hill-side green, or in the woodland glen. 
Those trembling petals, rich and bright, 
Enrobed in purple, pink and white. 

Emblems of Hope, from her whose true heart 
sends, 
A love light to his gloomy prison's shade ; 

Whose pure devotion, to her husband lends 
New strength to every firm resolve he made, 
To wield in Sacred Cause, a soldier's blade. 

Annavolis Jail, June 2, 1861. A Prisonek of Wak. 



PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE. S3 



PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE, 

OF 1862. 

In the dim vista of the Past appears 

A lengthened file in long procession's line ; 

The hero-statesmen of the by-gone years 

Whose noble names all noble hearts enshrine. 

Look to the Present, and in contrast see 
A Nation's struggle, unexcused by fame ; 

A Nation's folly, where it should be free, 
A Nation's discord, leading on to shame. 

In the near future — God alone can tell 

What record to the world shall then be shown ; 

Perchance the Union, that we loved so well, 
By frantic factions to the wild-winds strown — 
And Freedom crouching at some tyrant's 
throne. 



34 AUTUMN WINDS. 



MOUNT VERNON, 

On Hearing the Steamboat Bell Toll while Passing. 

Back — ninety years on History's page, 

And when the Nation's life was young, 
When men there were, both brave and sage, 

Whose deeds and names have since been sung. 
Men of a stamp whose honor stands 

In contrast to the custom now ; 
Men of purer lives and stainless hands 

^\'ith truth's impress on heart and brow; 
One sacred name '' led all the rest : " 

On tented field, 'mid battle's brunt, 
When 'ere the serried squadrons pressed 

His victor' helm was "at the front." 
From Halls of State, sedate and wise, 

In after days when peace was won, 
His fame ascended to the skies. 

And Heaven had claimed its Washington. 



MOUNT VERNON. 35 

His dust now lies beneath the mound, 

'I'hat rises by Potomac's Shore ; 
Too lately shaken by the sound, 

Of battle's crash and cannon roar ; 
But could that dust have risen then 

And have resumed his living form, 
To martial into ranks the men, 

Whose peerless valor braved the storm 
We would not be what now we are ; 

^^'e should not see what since we 've seen, 
But, risen from successful war, 

Virginia's fields would all be green. 
Virginia's sons again may shake 

Her grand old banners to the breeze ; 
" Sic Semper " yet again may wake 

Wild echoes over Southern leas. 



As the boats pass by: 
Toll, Toll the bells, 
For the soul on high. 



S6 AUTUMN WINDS. 

Each Southern heart at the solemn sound. 
Its homage yields to the sainted dead, 

While mournful memories cluster round 
The shores where patriot blood was shed. 

And spirits of the good and brave 

Who died defending " Sacred right," 
Keep silent watch around the grave ; 

And shadowy forms at dim twilight 
Of fair-haired boys and stalwart men, 

With tattered garb and hungry eyes. 
Still march by hill, and glade, and glen. 

And gather there in wild surprise. 
They guard the grave, — Hiey wait the hour 

Their sons and kinsmen to inspire, 
When once again in steadfast power 

The Southern heart shall throb with fire. 

And when in after years the bell 
Of passing steamer still shall toll, 

And echoes on the breezes swell 
And o'er the placid waters roll, 



MOUNT VERNON. 37 

The brave sons of those martyred dead 
Shall bend in reverence at the sound, 

For Time's soft radiance still shall shed 
Its lustre o'er that hallowed ground. 

Septemhkr 4th, 1873. 



AUTUMN WINDS. 



ELECTION ODE. ^3^ 

Rouse for the battle, Freemen brave ! 

Your C'ountry calls for each man's aid, 
Rouse, Freemen ! by your votes to save 

The heritage your father's gave ; 
In wisdom bought — by valor paid. 

Rouse in your might ! Let Honor stand 
'i'he beacon light to guide your choice ; 

And echoes, over sea and land, 
From Western mound to Eastern strand, 

Shall answer to your voice. 

Triumphant through the land shall sweep- 

To-morrow — to the end of time — 
The name of him you choose to keep 
From factions dark, from treasons deep. 
That heritage sublime. 



SPIRIT LAND. 



39 



SPIRIT LAND. 

When Death shall sever earthly ties 

And human forms decay, 
There is a land beyond the skies, 

Where happy spirits stray. 

There in the realms where angels are, 
Again our souls shall meet ; 

Beneath the gleam of many a star 
My soul thy souls shall greet. 

There, faithful to the vows we made 

\Vith every action free, 
In spirit robes of light array'd 

My love shall come to me: 

Shall come, with dancing, joy-lit eye, 
With soft, wide open arms ; 

Shall come, in spirit-ecstasy^ 
Clothed in immortal charms. 



40 AUTUMN WINDS. 

Blest, as They only there can bless, 

In purified desire ; 
Where every Spirit-love's caress 

Burns with immortal fire. 

Why chafe at human bonds with this 
The promise to thy fate ? 

Why mourn at present ills, if bliss 
Makes glad thy future state? 

Bear with the fleeting pangs of earth 
Nor shrink beneath the band ; 

Thy solace is the happy birth 
In promised Spirit I^and. 



IN MEMORIAM. 41 



IN MEMORIAM/^> 



The Almighty's voice hath called thee 
From paths where virtues shine ! 

While mortal chains enthrall'd thee, 
Strong will and power were thine; 

Performing man's best duties 
With a faith almost divine. 

In the Temple's Halls a priest, 
High Priest, of brothers true ; 

In the battle where the least 
And the greatest look to you 

As a warrior brave and noble, 
^Vhose faults in life were few. 

In manhood's prime and power^ 
Grand, vigorous and brave ; 



42 



AU'I'UMN WINDS. 



Responsive in the testing Iu)ur 

When rriendsliijj's hand ctJuUI save, 

God called you to your lionie — 
You found it — through the grave. 



With drooping, tearful eyes, 
Beside thy bier we stand ; 

Nor grief, nor human sighs, 
Can break the endless band 

Whi(Mi heaven hatli round thee cast, 
And bound, with righteous hand. 



LINES TO A LADY. 43 



LINES TO A LADY. 

Like bright beams of sunshine ilhiming the moun- 
tain, 
When the green robe of Summer is worn by the 
earth, 
Like spray-drops that gUsten and shine from the 
fountain. 
Where brilliantly beautiful colors have birth ; 

Like sweet songs of birds, in the close twining 
bowers 
Where beauty deliglits to hold her parterre, 
Like delicate perfumes from ruby lipped flowers. 
Which were culled, little lady, to braid in thy 
hair. 



44 AUTUMN WINDS. 

Like moonbeams of silver and gold softly blending, 
Where angel-wing'd Zephyrs, with pinions out- 
spread, 

Float over the edges of fleecy clouds, ending 

In the ])ure i)erfect blue of the ether o'er head; 

Is thy love lighted presence in purity beaming 
With innocent mirth of the s})irits sweet play 

Resistless, witli womanly v*'itchery gleaming 
In radiant beauty's unconscious array. 

For genius shines in those brown eyes bright glances, 
While pride sits in State on the classical brow ; 

And the voice, in its tone of persuasion entrances — 
Meihinks that the echoes are vibrating now. 

In worth as in beauty, uiirivallcd, unmatched, 
l^'.ach cxijuisite feature adorned by a grace; 

l'"or the liL;ht of a sunbeam, in truant jday catched, 
Was stolen to linger and shine on that lace. 



FLOWERS. 45 



FLC)wr:Rs. 

( KNCi.osKi) I'KOM iioMi:, rii:i) vvirii vvH'K's iiair.) 

W'ild-vvoocl Mowers, of iicrfiimc sweet, 
Love's messengers, my love to greet, 

Vou send me, " Kalie," when you write* 
Flowers that l)l()ome(I beside the spring, 

With waters dancing in the light ; 
Flowers, whose modest blossoming 

My darling to the dells invite. 

J>right leafed (lowers, wiiose fresh tints come 
As emblems of our joys at home ; 

Pure it! their beauties from the hand 
Whose every gift to man is good ; 

Nursed by Spring, whose breath had fannVl 
With Zephyrs soft, each hill and wood; 

In verdure clad, where winter stood. 



46 AUTUMN WINDS. 

Fragrant flowers, of varied hue; 
The modest violet's purpled blue, 

Hearts-ease, prompting thoughts of love, 
And lilies, with their drooping heads, 

As list'ning to bird-songs above, 
From where the branching tree-top spreads 
And crimson woodbine's slender threads. 

Tied with thy hair. Its ebon braid. 
Where oft and oft my hand has laid, 

Now binds the stems in close embrace; 
And binds them, as thy love binds me, 

In bonds of beauty, worth and grace ; 
Bonds, from which I could not be 
By worlds of other love set free. 



PRAYER OF THE TEMPTED. 47 



PRAYER OF THE TEMPTED. 



Oh heart, that loves too well, 

Oh lip, I fondly press, 
Oh passion's burning swell, 

That comes with his caress; 
Oh strange magnetic force, 

That sways my yielding will 
Oh soft, beguiling voice, 

Seductive in its thrill; 
Oh earnest, truthful eye, 

Oh sweet, enticing smile, 
Oh clasp, in which I lie ; 

Can love like this be guile? 



Oh sin ! for by such name 

The world would call these bonds, 



48 AUTUMN WINDS. 

And brand me with a shame 
To which my pride responds ; 

Oh Time ! has thou no balm, 
No solace, for such pain ? 

Oh Storm ! will come no calm, 
No freedom from this chain ? 

Oh God ! will thou not hear 

The prayer my heart sends up ? 
Will not Thy mercy spare 

My lip, "this bitter cup?" 
Oh help me then to crush 

This wild entrancing pain, 
Whose fatal surges rush, 

Resistless as the main, 
Remorseless as the sea, 

With death on ev'ry wave ; 
Is there no mortal plea 

A sinking soul to save? 



AUTUMN'S EVE. 49 



AUTUMN'S EVE. 

Autumn has come with shadowy pall, 
With misty skies of softer blue, 

AVith quivering leaves, that silent fall, 
Of Scarlet tints and golden hue. 

The western clouds still wear the tinge 
That Summer^s gorgeous sunsets wore; 

But edged with borders of paler frinsje 
Than sunset clouds of Summer bore. 

The evening star, with calm cold light, 
Shines with a clearer, brighter beam, 

As roll the deepening shades of night 
In sombre folds o'er hill and stream. 

The young moon sinking down to rest. 
When days last gleam has almost gone ; 



50 AUTUMN WINDS. 

With chasten'd glitter lights the west 
Where sunset's beauties lately shone. 

The fairest scene that Nature's brow, 
With shining coronet displays ; 

Is Autumn's evening's fading glow, 
Adorned by crescent moonlight rays. 



PARTINGS. 51 



PARTINGS. 



The ivy to the strong oak clings 

With many a twining tendril's hold ; 
While dense festoons in dark green rings 

In close embrace each branch enfold. 
Should lightning rend the rugged oak. 
The clinging ivy shares the stroke : 
So woman's pure devotion shares 

With him, round whom her love's entwin'd, 
'Hie joy, the sorrow, and the cares 

Which on life's pathway they may find ; 
'Till death's rude hand the bond hath broke ; 
More cruel than the lightning stroke. 
One heart survives to suffer still 

In grief, from bitter partings pangs ; 
Dark grief, whose cup sad memories fill, 
While o'er her soul a presence hangs. 



52 AUTUMN WINDS. 

The maiden when, with many a sigh, 

She marks that distant ship that bears 
Her sailor love, with tearful eye 

And soul oppressed with doubt and fears ; 
Hath faitli that, when the year rolls round 
Her conscious heart with joy will bound 
In gladdening welcome sweet and pure; 

And angels whisper, in her dreams. 
Of other joys, unknown before, 

Whose presence in his coming gleams. 
But storms, where terror's rage and rave. 
May sink that ship beneath the wave ; 

And dreams, that tranquil slumbers weave. 

When 1 ,ove and Hope bright promise shed, 
May glad those slumbers, to deceive. 
And gild the pall that Fate hath spread. 

The mother, when she gives her son 
To battle for his country's fame. 

And stakes his life where glory 's won, 
'Mid sabre-stroke and cannon flame, 
Hopes with a mothers faith and pride. 



PARTINGS. 53 

That, 'mongst the great and good and brave, 
His name may shine with bright names there, 
If sacrificed '' The Right" to save ; 

And Heaven-ward sends her trembling prayer 
That God her noble boy will guard, 
And bless her with the sweet reward 
Again his living form to hold 

In safety to her beating heart ; 
In conscious pride that brave and bold 
He bore a christian soldier's part. 
But while her prayer ascends to God 

His form may welter on the sod ; 
For forms as fair, and young, and brave. 
Have filled a martyred soldier's grave. 



54 AU rUiMN WINDS. 



WOULDST THOU FORGET? 

Could fabled Lethe's waters drown 

'Hie memory of the by-gone day, 
And darkness o'er the Past be thrown, 

Illumined by no single ray 
Of all that soul-entrancing time, 

When first our hearts responsive beat, 
Like rich toned bells, at Easter chime. 

In soft accord, and passing sweet ; 
Wouldst Thou, my love of all those years, 

The waters quaff, and thus forget 
An image, that thy heart declares 

Enshrined in secret worship yet ? 
An image, bound by many a chain ; 

A sainted idol, dear and blest. 
Oh, better far the love retain, 

That stood such hard abiding test. 
Than seek to drown in Lethe's wave 

A tie that time has failed to sever ; 
Which, destined to outlive the grave, 

Shall bloom in Spirit land forever. 



KRIN. 55 



ERI N. 

There's an Isle in the Ocean, whose sons are as 

brave 

As the Heroes of Old; in whose fame we delight; 

With hearts wild and free as the foam-crested wave 

That breaks on her shores, in its grandeur and 

might. 

Where the spirit of Freedom, 'ere-v/hile has been 
nursed, 

Where the martyrs of Liberty died in their gore. 
Where the tyrants who bind her will ever be cursed, 

Till Tyranny holds her in thraldom no more. 

'T is the Green Isle of Erin, bowed down by the 
might 
Of the Sister, who rears her proud crest o'er the 
sea ; 
But the glad day shall come, when her sons, in the 
fight, 
Shall have proved their (^reen Island — The Isle 
of the Free. 



56 AUTUMN WINDS. 



THE SHIPWRECK/5) 
I. 

A stifling Summer's noonday heat 

Glares on the Mart of Trade, 
As earnest groups pass down a street 

To the docks where ships are laid ; 
And gather for a sad fiirewell, 

Perhaps the last in life, 
To some, who tempting ocean's swell, 

'Mid raging Storm-wind's strife. 
Seek distant shores, for wealth and ease, 
Adown the paths of the " sounding seas." 

A proud ship at her anchor rides, 
Brave men throng her graceful sides, 
And gentle woman too is there ; 
Full many a pleading look and prayer 
To Heaven ascends; and many a tear 
On many a cheek abides. 



THE SHIPWRECK. 57 



n, 



'I'he whispered word, the smothered sigh, 

'I'he touch of lips no more to meet, 
The love-look in the glistening eye, 

'i'he lingering parting, sadly sweet. 
Friends, Country, Home, to memory dear, 

^\'hen backward wandering thought will stray : 
We leave them heart oppressed by fear, 

We leave them — and they pass away. 

They pass, as down the stream we glide, 
. But C^ourage stems the troubled tide; 
And high before him Hope holds up, 
With promise brimmed, her golden cup; 
For Hope is Youth's fair bride. 



HI. 

Out in the stream ! with white sails bent, 
The ship moves slowly from the land ; 

And echoing farewell shouts are sent 
And many a parting wave of hand — 



5cS AUTUMN WINDS. 

But soon grows dim the distant shore 
Beneath the lingering sunset's ray, 

And homes now left for ever more 
Are fading with the dying day. 

AMiilc rii)pliiig waves their spray drops throw, 
All sparkling with retlccted glow, 

The shi}) is dashing through the sea. 
Her stalwart sailors, bold and free, 
Move on her decks right merrily — 
And joy is at the flow. 



IV. 



A clipper ship, whose sharp lined prow 

A wondrous si)ccd betokens well ; 
From keel to capstan, stern to bow, 

All sha})ed in lines of graceful swell ; 
Her yards wide reach beyond her beams, 

With snowy canvass squarely spread ; 
A living thing at sea she seems 

With light clouds floating overhead. 



THE SHll'WRECK. 59 

Her tail masts reaching up and high, 
From which lier pennants i)roiidly fly 
And with the fleecy cloud flakes flirt; 
With many a strand of rigging girt, 
She braveth every harm and hurt 
From stormy sea and sky. 

V. 

Far out upon the mighty deep, 

In paths beyond the reach of aid. 
Where roaring billows grandly sweep 

Her beauties are displayed ; 
As bending to the freshening gales 

'Mid seas where gulls and doli)hins si)ort, 
With freight of lives and wealth she sails, 

For shores where lie her destined port. 

But soon the baffling breeze comes warm 
From fragrant flowers of graceful form, 
Its breath all laden with perfume 
Of climes which Southern suns illume; 
While lurking terrors, dark with gloom 
Portend a Tropic storm. 



6o AUTUMN WINDS. 

VI. 

Upon her crowded decks a throng, 

That counts at least two hundred souls: 
To some the weary voyage seems long, 

Some lounge and watch old ocean's rolls, 
Some bask beneath the sails' deep shade 

In fancy wandering far away. 
Fair visions those — with Hope arrayed 

In Fortune's glitter in the distant day. 

In contrast there, the men, her crew, 
Of stalwart forms — brave hearts and true — 
In Danger's storm-rocked cradle nursed; 
Their songs upon the sea air burst 
Daring the winds to do their worst, 
As o'er the waves she flew. 

VII. 

After a sun bright Tropic day 

The shades of night come down a pace, 

And cloud banks force their shadowy way 
Across the far horizon's face ; 



THE SHIPWRECK. 6i 

The ^\'estern sky, with sunset red, 

Is gathering in a gloomy frown, 
'Till far and near and over spread 

A grayish, leaden pall hang down. 

*T is calm ! No sound disturbs the deep, 
No breezes o'er its surface sweep, 
No motion tells of latent life, 
But tokens of dark terrors rife, 
And omens of the coming strife 
Are in that treacherous sleep. 

VIII. 

Now distant thunders low and hoarse 

Athwart the Firmament have passed ; 
The ship is drifting from her course, 

Her sails flap loosely from the mast ; 
And hearts that heretofore were bold 

Are trembling with a nameless fear, 
As many a shipwreck's tale is told 

To vibrate on the listener's ear. 



62 AU'l'UMN WINDS. 

Come memories of the long-loved home, 
And crowding thoughts, in swift array. 
Of joys or sins of the by-gone day. 
In rapid retrospective i)lay. 

Flash like the ocean foam. 

IX. 

Hark, to the wild resistless rush 

Of waters in their noisy might ; 
And foam capped waves, with brilliant flush 

Of phosphorescent rays of light, 
Are glidiiig onward, courser like, 

With loose manes tossed erect and free. 
And blasts of wind in fury strike 

At intervals, the seething sea. 

I'he clouds have gathered in the North ! 
The Storm-King brings his chariot forth ; 
While vivid lightning gleam on high 
His courses start, with radiant eye, 
Before the hurricane tliey fly 

Swift o'er the white sea's froth. 



THE SHIPWRECK. 63 



Careening low before the blast, 

A ship all helpless in the storm ; 
With sails in tattered fragments cast, 

With strained and quivering form. 
The Ocean's frown grows darker yet, 

The Ocean demons claim their prey. 
Upon her doom a seal is set, 

Her guardian angels — where are they? 

Go ask of the loudly echoing gale 
That tore in shreds her snow white sail ; 
Or ask — pale lipped in mortal fear — 
Of the fiends that throng the stormy air. 
And the answer — that those echoes bear 
An agonizing wail! 

XI. 

On dreams of home their cold eyes close ; 
i\nd the Shadow of Death in the storm arose; 

Terribly stern for the soul to see. 
Oh where is the promise of wealth and ease; 



64 AUTUMN WINDS. 

Oh where are the hopes that Fancy please? 

All vanished with the mysteries 
That Fate hath sunk in the fathomless seas ! 

For surging with a rushing sound, 
The gallant ship a port hath found, 

Near by the Mermaid caves; 
And the Billows, as they sweep along. 
And the Winds, shall sing the funeral song 
Above those Ocean graves. 



DREAMS. 65 



DREAMS. 

Do dreams portray, distinct or dim, 
Prophetic scenes of joy or dread — 

And come they in the guise of him, 

Whose love is round thy pathway spread 

If distant scenes of girl-hood's day 
Sometimes thy peaceful slumbers fill. 

And tones of dear ones, far away, 

With almost real distinctness thrill — 

If dream-land's scenes sometimes repeat 
The ardent Gjlance, the burning kiss, 

The firm tread of the echoing feet, 

Of him with whom you share your bliss — 



66 AUTUMN WINDS. 

Are all your dreams of pleasant shade, 

Of rosy hues, of happy hours, 
Of sunshine, and in light arrayed; 

Are all your visions crowned with flowers ? 

If some sad dream thy slumbers break, 
In which a well-loved form is seen, 

Should dream-clad phantoms' semblance shake 
Such faith as yours has always been ? 



A val?:n rixMK. 67 



A VALENTINE. 

( WRITTEN FOR A CAY OLD FRIKND.) 

Some twenty years or more ago, 

When you and I were young and gay, 

'Mid wild New Hampshire's hills of snow — 

' r was on a frost crisped winter day, 

That cuddled in a fur-wrapped sleigh 

We worshiped old St. Valentine. 

How bright your eyes, your voice how low 

And sweet to words I whispered then ; 

And how your hand clasp answered mine ; 
Two votaries at Young Love's shrine, 
As we dashed gaily down the glen. 

Those days were glad, and years have flown, 
While other joys our hearts have known, 
And other ties around us thrown. 



6S AUTUMN WINDS. 

But much I doubt if since that ride, 
By memory drifted down the tide 
Where Youth is wrecked, one single gleam 
So bright has glistened o'er the stream ; 
Tho' surely Peace hath blessed us both ; 
And now sedately, I may send 
In lines where love and honor blend. 
Not emphasized by pledge or oath, 
A simple greeting, kind and pure, 
In tribute to those " days of yore ;" 
And pledge thy health in rich red wine, 
My darling Old-'i'ime Valentine, 



PASSION. 69 



PASSION. 



In human hearts wild passions blaze 

With fierce volcanic fires; 
While fervent Youth her bloom displays 

All warm with soft desires. 



No mortal skill the ship can save 

Disabled in the storm, 
Where Ocean's wild, resistless wave 

Engulphs its shattered form. 

No human hand the silken car 
Can guide, in mid-air's path ; 

Relentless winds, at constant war, 
May crush it in their wrath. 



70 AUTUMN WINDS. 

No mortal will the dread decree 
Of Death may turn aside ; 

Or solve Creation's mystery, 
That all who lived, have died. 

Nor human will can passions tame 
Exce})l by faith and prayer, 

In Him and to His holy name, 
Who placed those passions there. 



TIME. 71 



TIME. 

Time moves along 

On sluggish wing ; 
A mournful song 

Its phantoms sing. 

In sorrowing cadence fall 

The plaintive notes of woe ; 
With strange, entrancing thrall 

Its measured anthems flow, 
When strains of pleasures i)ast, 

Of hours of fleeting bliss. 
Vibrate, in strong contrast 

To gloomy hours, like this. 
For joy no more can wake 

The heart whose Hopes lie dead, 
Or from its banner shake 

The dust which time hath spread. 



72 . AUTUMN WINDS. 

The hours have left the moth 

Whose brilliant tints have been, 
'Till now, no more the cloth 

Is bright with gold and green, 
Unfurl the banner then 

To find its hues effaced ; 
Unmask the hearts of men 

And see what Time has traced. 

Time moves along 
On sluggish wing, 

A mournful song 
Its phantoms sing. 



CLOUDS. 73 



CLOUDS. (^> 

The clouds upon their sky — 
Separation's pangs and loneliness to each ; 
Nor doth their reason resignation teach ; 
The hours of absence marked by many a sigh. 
The dead Past's memories from out the gloom, 
Rise, phantom like as from the silent tomb, 
And, voiceless, pass them by. 

The clouds upon their hearts — 
What was pleasing then, retains some freshness yet, 
The faith then pledged, is kept to-day as well, 
Still smile meets-smilc, still strange pulsations 
swell. 
With ardor fierce as when in youth they met : 

But ties they dreamed not then, are woven now ; 
The stamp of Time hath deeply marked each 
brow ; 
While stings of Care have left their burning smarts 
Will sunlight ever dawn upon their hearts ? 



74 AUTUMN WINDS. 

Whence come these clouds, this storm ? 
From Fate's decree that parted thus their lives — 

Are they yet so young, that passions warm 
And follies still pursue them on their path, 
To hang about them in dark shapes of wrath, 

Against which each too feebly strives ; 
For since like theirs a half repentance were in vain ; 
It would but serve to forge, in stronger links the 

chain — 
Such cloud as these bring lightning with their rain ! 



IN ABSENCE. 75 



IN ABSENCE. 



I am sad to-night and cursing fate, 

In my chamber, all alone ; 
The clock struck six, and seven, and eight, 

And the dreary hours wear on. 

Silent and sad in the dull cold room, 

No smile, no touch, no sound ; 
No loved one's presence to break the gloom 

Of the four white wall's chill bound. 

The city noises all are hushed 

Save the sound of the fireman's call. 

And of rolling wheels as engine rushed 
Where burning^ rafters fall. 



-jG AUTUMN WINDS. 

Or of some one late, the heavy tread, 

Uncertainly staggering home, 
With throbbing pulse and aching head, 

From the wine cup's sparkling foam. 

Or moaning wind in the house's eaves, 

Singing a dirge, perhaps ; 
Or stealthy tread of mid-night thieves, 

Or spirits mysterious raps. 

These are the sounds which weave a spell, 
Of gloomy and mystical power ; 

These, and the tongue of the vibrating bell 
That is tolling the mid-night hour. 

Sounds of the night — startling and wierd - 
Sounds that but darkness hath had ; 

Sounds that the pinions of Silence have stirr'd- 
Dreary, monotonous sad. 



IN ''A. M's" ALBUM, 77 



IN "A. MV ALBUM. 



As flows the streamlet to the river, 
Laughing riplets on its face 
In the sunlight dance and quiver, 
Ceaseless in their endless race ; 
Even so, in charming grace. 
Maiden fancies form and flow ; 
Ardent, truthful, hopeful, pure, 
Never fearing once the river, 
Never shrinking from the shore. 



78 AUTUMN WINDS. 



A THOUGHT. 



Should life be measured by years, 
Or rather by what we have seen ? 

Tho' snow with the winter appears, 
The grass underneath maybe green. 

Doth passion with youth all expire, 
Or rather lie dormant and tame.'* 

Tho' ashes may smother the fire, 
It waits but to burst into flame. 

AVhy then should we ever grow old, 
Why mourn overjoys that have gone. 

If love that we cherished grows cold 
New love in the morrow may dawn. 



LINES OF THE LONG AGO. 79 



LINES OF THE "LONG AGO." 



AA'hen morning's blush first gilds with rosy hue, 
Mountain and vale and Ocean's breast; 

'P>e rising Phoebus' rays disperse the blue 
Pale mist which on the hill tops rest ; 

Lost in reflection sweet I wander forth, 

Lo dream of thee and muse upon thy worth. 

No pagan idol on a Hindoo shrine, 

Nor golden image of the Aztec creed, 
Receives such homage as is justly thine, 

For maiden beauty's matchless meed. 
Hap})y the man on whom thy smiles descends, 

On only one its tranquil beams may light; 
\\'here Youth to Love a glamor lends. 

It charms to worship and to pure delight. 



8o AUTUMN WINDS. 



ENIGMA. 



My first, is always made to keep 

The tide or stream within due bound; 

My second, on the rolling sweep 
Of everlasting Time is found. 

My first, a safeguard is, if strong; 

Becomes a curse by adding " n " ; 
My second, feebly moving on, 

Is always deemed a curse by men 

My whole, if weak or frail my first, 

The consequence would be. 
Should tide, or stream, their bondage burst, 

And sweep the fabric toward the sea. 



CHARADE. 8i 



CHARADE. 



From the first feeble lisp with which infancy strives 

Its wants to express or affection display, 
To the time when the Death Angel's summons ar- 
rives 

And the aims of a lifetime are passing away, 
My first must be used by child and by sage 

In simple expression or eloquent speech ; 
On the record of progress, adorning the page, 

By prelates, expounding the creed that they 
preach ; 
The learned, must use it in prose and in verse, 
The wicked, may use it for purposes worse. 

My second denotes what the honest and true 
From public opinion receive as their meed ; 

A word which when spoken as justly the due 
Of the good, is a tribute of honor indeed. 



82 AUTUMN WINDS. 

The value of all that we buy it defines ; 

From the house where we live and the garments 
we wear, 
To the gold in the mint, and the ore at the mines, 

To the fish of the sea, and the birds of the air ; 
The wordly, must win it by barter and gain, 
The worthy, may win it through hardship and pain. 

A poet's name my whole discloses, 

Whose verses pure shall live through ages, 

In lines so sweet, that Spring's first roses 
Seem scattered o'er his varied pages. 



AN INDIAN FUNERAL. 83 



INDIAN FUNERAL IN MEXICO/^) 



Behind the western mountain's brow, 
The wearied Sun is sinking low 

And night's deep shades 
Will soon beneath her mantle hide 
The distant village, steep hill-side 

And verdant glades. 

'Mid Southern climes and near a spring, 
Whose flower clad banks a perfume fling, 

So soft and pure. 
Upon the slumbering evening air, 
That tardy Twilight lingers there 

At day's closed door- 



84 AUTUMN WINDS. 

A toil stained band of rugged men 
Have camped within the silent glen 

Beside the stream, 
Where moonlight through the foliage plays, 
'Mid pale, dim stars, with fitful rays 

And wavering gleam. 

As slowly wear the hours of night 

Close by their watch-fire's smothered light 

'I'hey lay around, 
Those wearied men, in slumber lost, 
While dreams — perchance of danger — tost 

Their rest profound. 



Mayhap to some, down Memory's steep 
The rushing tide of home-thoughts sweep. 

And faces fair, 
With radiant smiles of greeting glad. 
In vision's joyous fancies clad, 

Again are near. 



INDIAN FUNERAL. 85 

Mayhap of love one's voice the tone 
Across the reach of Time is thrown 
And softens sleep — 
But Hark ! The pilgrims' dreams are broke — 
No voice of loved one softly woke 
Their slumbers deep ; 



But murmured sounds that gently move 
The echoes of the leafy grove 

Are borne along; 
A saddened cadence marks the notes, 
In melancholy music floats 

The dirge-like song. 

With slowly measured, heavy tread 
The funeral bearers of the dead 

In gloom appear, 
Like phantom forms with gestured weird, 
And shrieks and shouts, in discord heard, 

Inspiring fear. 



S6 AUTUMN WINDS. 

Close 'mid their ranks they bear the form 
Of one whose manly heart beat warm 

With kindred throes; 
And march with solemn dirge and tear 
And Pagan rites to guard his bier 

To death's repose — 



Of one of noble Indian race, 

Who, sire and son, with Aztec race 

Of royal blood, 
Their mighty ancestry still mourn, 
From splendor by the Spaniard torn 

Mid'st fire and flood. 



Or, of some maiden, darkly bright, 
With lip of coral, hair of night 

And dusky hue ; 
Whos'e veins were charged with blood too 

warm, 
Whose heart had beat, in Passion's storm. 

With throb too true. » 



INDIAN FUNERAL, 87 

Delusion strange, their custom seems 
Like fantasies of fevered dreams 

That darkly roll ; 
The frantic dread that demon force 
May wrest away the loved one's corse, 

May seize his soul; 



The mystic faith that shout and song, 
Whose echoes night winds waft along, 

Will demons fright — 
But safe the form beneath the sod 
The soul, reclaimed, returns to God 

In raiment bright, * * 



In the deep gloom the train moved on — 
When every measured tread had gone, 

'Mid Quiet's reign, 
Beside their watch-fire's smouldering ray, 
The weary, startled pilgrims lay 

In rest again. 



88 AUTUMN WINDS. 



WAITING. 



Waiting for Life — where the germ has been sown 
By the boisterous wind, on its wandering way : 

The seed that its pinions have scattered and strown, 
I'ho' they spring into life, shall fade and decay. 

Waiting for Youth— how each boy counts the hours, 
That yet must elapse 'ere his childhood has 
passed ; 

And anxiously longing, in Fancy, devours 
The joyful fruition of manhood's repast. 

Waiting for Love — that his young heart had 
cherished ; 

His visions of sleep had pictured its charms; 
Still waiting — 'till Faith in its object had perished, 

'Neath Jealousy's blight, or Inconstancy's storms. 



WAITING. <S9 

Waiting for Fame— where the war-trumpet's sound, 
And the tramp of mailed squadrons are shaking 
the plain ; 

Where the dead and the dying are scattered around, 
And missiles fall thick as the Equinox rain. 

Waiting for Death — on that stern field of glory ; 

And wounded to death, while waiting for fame ; 
An exemplified proof, that in truth as in story, 

The lustre reflects, not from deeds, but their 
name. 



90 AUTUMN WINDS. 



HOPE. 



Of Hope and her visions I write 
While her beautiful wings unclose, 

With plumage effulgently bright, 

In a sort of electrical light, 

Reflected from Promise, its glows 
With tints of the couleicr de rose. 

When Youth sends his bark on the stream, 
All freighted with joys that elate, 

The after years shine with a gleam 

That defies the stern warnings of Fate; 

For down, where the smooth current flows,. 

Is reflected the coideur de rose. 

When Sorrows surround us with shade, 
When Want casts her mantle of gloom,. 



HOPE. 

When Friendship and Love are betrayed 

And the heart looks for rest to the tomb, 
Then Hope to the future out-throws 
Her banner of coulcur de rose, 

But should the dark portents prove true 
And Death come while Sorrows abide, 

In Heaven's cerulean blue 

Our hopes o'er the billows shall ride : 

And there in that land shall repose 

That bloometh in couleur dc rose- 



91 



92 AUTUMN WINDS. 



HAPPINESS. 



Thou phantom Happiness ! Thou mortal boast ! 
Thou shadow ! men pursue through all life's 
gloom ; 
Which, 'mongst the winding paths where peace is 
lost, 
Will best i)repare thy pilgrims for the tomb? 



Not thine unhappy Love — with faltering tone, 
And eye upturned to meet the glance of her 

Whose smile enraptures, should its charm be thrown 
On him, the Angel-woman's worshiper. 

Not thine Ambition — grasping lust for fame; 

With deep marked foot-prints, stamped in human 
gore ; 
And fading trophies scarred by crime and shame ; 

While stings of conscience rankle in the sore. 



HAPPINESS. 93 

Nor Miser, thine — with maddening thirst for gold ; 

The one absorbing passion of thy brain ; 
Were thine such hoards as Croesus had of old, 

Their still would rule the insatiate greed of gain. 

But thine, pure Christian — steadfast, true and 
brave ; 

Above all selfish aims thy motives soar; 
With firm conviction in His power to save ; 

Nor wasting life on Love, nor Wealth, nor War. 

Thine is the goal, at which all men have aimed ; 

Thine is the boast, and thine the one true road; 
Thine is the charm, from mortal passions tamed ; 

And thine is Happiness — through Faith in God. 



94 AU rUxMN WINDS. 



COMPENSATION 



Tlie tree that l)ends before the l)la.st, 

]\ecoils again and stands upright; 
And when the Summer storm has passed 

Its leaves shall glitter in the light. 
The heart bowed down wilh grief to-day, 

To-morrow may new bliss enjoy ; 
No distant sorrows, dim and gray, 

That heart's enchantment shall destroy. 
The storms of life, when stern and dark 

The I'resent to the soul may seem ; 
(As on some stranded shipwrecked bark, 

Adrift ui)on l'\ite's tide or stream) 
What tliough the surges darkly frown. 

And o'er the shattered wreck may roll, 
J^'or Mercy, with her shining crown, 

And hand that grasps a stainless scroll. 



COMPENSATION. 95 

From Heaven, above, is looking down 
To save from wreck a human soul. 

A legend on that scroll is seen, 

Which since Creation's day hath stood ; 

When first, 'midst Eden's groves, serene. 

The God of Mercy spake it — " Good." 



96 AUTUMN WINDS. 



LINES WITH A RING. 



Accept this ring dear girl and think 

Of what was told you long ago ; 
The stone it holds is topaz pink 

And will become that hand of snow, 
Refuse it not, for Fate decreed 

Thou should'st receive a golden token 
So let this little emblem plead, 

An advocate of love unspoken. 



DOUBT. 97 



DOUBT. 



You say you love me, yet you leave me now, 

Alone and wearied, aimless and distressed ; 
Yon, faithless to your every pledge and vow, 

And I, too constant, find you like the rest. 
Some other love may cheer your future path; 

But will that love be half so true as mine? 
And in that future, will no memory's wrath, 

In terror, rise to scare you from the shrine? 
But when at last, beneath the church-yard sod, 

At rest from all these cares, we both shall lie; 
And when the record shall be called by God, 

And we shall stand for judgment — You and I — 
A\'ho at the throne shall then seem least to blame 

For all these wrongs from which we suffer now ? 
Who caused the sorrow — and on whom the shame ? 

Who then shall answer for each broken vow ? 
Well ! the illusion of the dream has passed ; 

The tasted joys are only Dead-Sea fruit ; 
And 'midst the darkness that this grief has cast 

The very pulses of my heart are mute. 



AUTUMN WINDS. 



SOLACE. 

Joy ! for she comes, lo ])le(lge and i)romise true; 

'I'he doubts were only fond love's foolish })ain ; 
She conns nnd tells me — " If I only knew 

'i'he struggles that were made to break the chain ; 
The pangs they cost, the dreary sleepless nights, 

The lonely days of anxious wearying thought, 
The fear, the dread and then the soft delights 

'i'hat dreams, persuasive, sometimes brought ; 
The ])ressing need in some one to confide ; 

The wish, that burned but could not be confessed, 
That ebbed and flowed rtsistless as the tide, 

P)y human will too strong to be repressed ; 
The apprehension that our love was crushed; 

'J'hat wrong and anger had its fervor chilled" — 
Hut roseduted Iloi)e, with memory flushed. 

The l)()wl of Promise to the l)rim has filled; 
And Love's red wine's in toxic ating draught, 

Shall add to ])leasures antl their zest renew ; 
And when our lips in mutual love have (piaffed 

'i'he (lod-like nectar — vShe Ml believe me true. 



THE SWnCH. 



99 



THE SWITCH. 



Said Harry' to Jane one bright Summer day — 
AVliile engaged on the lawn at a game of croquet 
And Jane's little head wore a chignon so grand 
It had scarcely an equal for size in the land — 
You '11 doubtless esteem me an impudent dog, 
But why is your head like an old pedogogue 
Whose greatest delights are to teach and to flog, 
Pray tell me my dear where the likeness comes in ? 
How the deuce should I know; She replied with a 

grin 
And a glance with a glamour that savored of sin — 
Well then tho' you charge me with insolent non- 
sense, 
The size of its switch addeth much to its conse- 
quence. 



loo AUTUMN WINDS. 



CAUTIONS. 

( DURING THE GOLD EXCITEMENT IN NEW YORK IN 1864.) 

Seek not for wealth where gamblers meet 
On shaded side of crowded street, 
Noisy and rude, in clamorous greed, 
As carrion birds in search of feed 

Where the battle has fiercest raged ? 
Eager and anxious, pursuing the doom. 
That, shadow-like, hangs about the room 
Where gold is bartered and fortune marred, 
More surely than by dice or card 
In the fight with the " Tiger " waged. 

Seek not for wealth where stocks are sold 
At the " call of the Lists " — but not for gold : 
" Promoters" grasp what profits are made 
And men of mark are always paid 
For the prestige of their names ; 



CAUTIONS. ic, 

Unscrupulous, sordid, defrauding their friends. 
Degrading themselves to infamous ends ! 
What m.atter the millions they dying may leave, 
What matter the wealth their heirs may receive^ 
If burdened by similar shames ? 



AUrUMN WINDS. 



COURAGE. 

])ays, dark stormy days of gloom ; 

Nights, long sleepless nights of thought 
Constant cares, that peace consumes, 

By every passing hour are brought, 
])e])t, the Demon, clanks a chain ; 

Want, the spectre, standing near, 
Surrounded by a shadowy train 

Whose potent leader's name is Fear ; 
In the distance angels hover, 

Rays of light surround tlieir forms, 
Before them is a bridge that over 

Courage strides and braves the slorms; 
Faith beside him keeping pace, 

Cheers him where the bridge is weak, 
And Hope beyond, with smiling face. 

But tears bedewing either cheek. 
Still beckons from the angel throng, 

That courage never once may falter ; 
For though the bridge be steep and long. 

Its distant end is Hope's bright altar. 



FORGET THEE. 103 



FORGET THEE. 

Forget Thee I Can the Earth forget to bear 
Upon her bounteous bosom's emerald fields 
Glad, golden harvests in return for warmth 
Received from laughing Spring's embrace ? 

Forget Thee 1 Can the placid stream forget 
In glittering radiance back to give 
The beams upon her silvery surface cast 
By the inconstant Harvest moon? 

Forget Thee ; Can the once rich man forget 
The wealth, by hard, untiring toil obtained, 
And prized so dearly that when it vanished, 
He had well nigh died ? Who still a weary. 
Feeble, sad existence drags along. 
In hope that yet his nerveless, palsied hand 
Again may clutch his often counted gold. 



04 AUTUMN WINDS. 

Forget Thee ? As well the martyred saint 
When agonized and dying at the stake, 
With trembling hands upraised, and eyes 
To Heaven upturned, forget to call 
For mercy and for strength upon his God! 



PATIENCE. 105 



PATIENCE. 

When dews of night are lightly shed 
Upon some fragile floweret's head, 

The stem beneath the dew will stand ; 
But under bursts of wind and rain, 
The flower must break, nor rise again 

When sunshine lights the land. 

So trials when they fall like dews, 
New vigor to the heart infuse. 

Nor bend, nor break the stem ; 
But falling 'neath a storm of care, 
And pressing round us everywhere ; 

'Inhere is no shield from them. 

They bend, they bow us to the ground; 
We seldom rise with the rebound, 

Save by the force of will. 
Some 'neath the storms of Life are brave 
And wait 'till better fortunes save — 

But some are waiting still. 



o6 AUTUMN WINDS. 



COLUMBUS. 



" A Castilla y li Leon, 
Nuevo Mundo dio Colon. 



When from the Conquest of (rranada the Queen of 

Spain returned 
And with glowing warlike ardor her knights and 

soldiers burned ; 
When the realm of Moorish power by Spanish arms 

was crushed, 
And through the story famed Alhambra the con- 

(piering thousands rushed ; 
When mourned the Moorish Maidens their dusky 

lovers slain, 
And Christian knights were flushed with trophies 

of the i)lain ; 
When sad Boabdil's jeweled crown by Christian 

hands was torn 
From the Moslem chieftain's brow where so proud- 
ly it was worn ; 
When the last of Moorish warriers had left the 

worshiped shrines ; 



COLUMBUS. 107 

Where the rose with jasmin flowers in fragrant 

grace entwines, 
A careworn man, with saddened brow, to Isabel 

bent down, 
With schemes of promised grandeur whose fame 

should grace her crown ; 
With tales of distant lands, where constant sun- 
shine glows. 
Where an eternal Spring-time, its ripening verdure 

throws ; 
Where fruits of luscious sweetness, the tropic 

warmths repay. 
And birds of gorgeous plumage, their feathered 

charms display ; 

Where mines of untold golded wealth lie hid be- 
neath the soil — 

And brilliant gems of priceless worth, are but the 
adventurer's spoil — 

Beyond Atlantic's rolling tide, in the dim distance 
comes, 

Before his seer-like vision a mighty Nation's 
homes: 

With faith impressed and fervor he pleads his 
splendid scheme, 

Till Isabel's proud heart believeth in his dream ; 



io8 AUTUMN WINDS. 

And on her mind, in glory, breaks the dazzling^ 

future fame 
Tliat 'I'ime has yielded, treasure-like, in homage 

to her name — 
Her royal jewels, prized and rich, were freely 

pledged and sold — 
The purchase of a Western World, the Promised 

Land of Gold. 



HOPE ON. 109 



HOPE ON.(^) 



God judgeth for the best ; 
Trust his wisdom for the rest ; 
Hopeful hearts are always blest ; 
Hope On ! 

God guards the sparrow as it flies, 
And his mercy never dies ; 
If on him thy trust relies, 

Hope On ! 

Be resigned, with humble heart ; 
Should he chasten, bear the smart, 
Of Christian duty, 't is a part, 

Hope On ! 



Tio AUTUMN WINDS. 

If dark to-day, with grief and fear, 
New light to-morrow : may appear; 
Bend to God in humble prayer, 
Hope On ! 

Should his wisdom deem it best 
To take him hence, to Heaven and rest 
Then thou 'It know that he is blest. 
Hope On ! 



'IHK KNELL OF TIMK. m 

THE KNELL OF TIME. 

(mid-night of the old year.) 

Hark to the tolling bell, that wakes the stillness of 
the night 

With muffled, slow-toned music, for the year that's 

taking flight ; 
Down in the fathomless depths of Time, 'neath the 
waves of the boundless sea, 
Its grave is found 
Let the bell's deep sound 
Its parting requiem be. 

No mourning train, with solemn pomp, its funeral 

pageant swells ; 
No mourning sound the silence breaks, save the 

sound of tolling bells ; 
But 'neath the gloom of midnight, the mourning 

pall is spread ; 

The hour hath flown ! 
Its days are done ! 
Another year is dead. 



AUTUMN WINDS. 



FRAGMENT L 



For some have drank at Pleasure's Spring 
As though its waves could care assuage ; 

But Love a funeral dirge would sing 

And Sorrow snatch from Memory's wing 

A quill to blot Life's darkened page. 



FRAGMENT II. 



113 



FRAGMENT 11. 



THE MAY-DAY PIC-NIC. 



A quaint old house at the top of a hill 

In the 'midst of a grove of grand old oaks : 
Behind are dense thickets, where song birds trill, 

And in front stands a cart with four oxen in yokes. 
Round the house is a porch, with low hanging eaves, 

With steps leading down to a beautiful lawn ; 
And the twining clamatis, with petals and leaves, 

Is shading the porch that its petals adorn. 

An hundred years, or more, hath stood 

That quaint old house — 'till bricks and wood 

Are moulded and stained — 'neath roof and eave 

Are nests of bats, and spiders weave 

In fanciful webs their wonderful maps; 

Themselves persuasively wonderful chaps. 

^Vhose principal business is setting of trap. 



114 AUTUMN WINDS. 

Where innocent flies may meet with mishaps — 
Much like to the traps gay gentlemen set 
And bait with caresses and presents — " You bet " — 
Some foolish young woman to coax to a net. 

Ah ! many the dance and wild carouse, 

When revels were kept in the days gone by, 
In the halls of that singular quaint old house, 

And music and. mirth were loud and high, 
The women were fair as women are now ; 

The men were as brave, and gallant and gay ; 
The wit was as pungent, and joyous the flow 

Of their pleasures, as those of their children 
to-day. 

This morn, on the porch, are three sunny-faced 
girls, 

As full of their fun " as an egg is of meat;" - 
Laughing and dancing, and tossing their curls. 

In a manner at once both provoking and sweet; 
For these girls are determined on frolic and fun, 

Are bent on a May-day pic-nic spree. 



FRAGMENT II. 115 

And were rather impatiently waiting for one 

Who comes, and is welcomed with boisterous 

glee, 
For a marvelous fellow at frolics is he. 
He, and tvv^o others, as beaux for the three. 

They 'd sent for the cart and oxen four. 
Those three bright girls at the old house door: 
And a more exquisite picture, I ween. 
Was never before on that old porch seen. 
Than those three lasses, 
Of whom one wears glasses. 
And of the beautiful trio is queen; 

But it must be confessed, 
If it's not so, I '11 be — blessed, 
That her air is more gay than serene. 

In all your excursions, 

Or foolish diversions, 
Or among the acquaintances made in your lives. 
Of maidens, or widows, or other men's wives, 

Have you even met one. 

Or desired to pet one. 



ii6 AUTUMxN WINDS, 

Of those singular creatures 
Whose eyes were near-sighted ; 
And rather delighted 
To half close their lids 
While waiting for bids, 
Distorting their features 
In a kind of a half quizical, 
Not at all metaphysical 
Sort of a glance, 
Beneath which one almost drops off in a trance — 
Because if you have you can understand why, 
There's a magical witchery lurks in the eye 
Of a near-sighted maiden, sedate and so shy, 
And withall at the same time attractively sly — 
Co she, the bright queen of the aforementioned 

lasses, 
To see at all clearly was compelled to wear glasses. 
And seemed much discreeter, 
And as decidedly sweeter, 
As is best golden syrup than common molasses. 



FRAGMENT 11. 117 

I neglected to say, in a casual way, 

As I should — but my verses went slightly astray 

The name of this near-sighted lady is Anna ; 

Her friends and respective associates Hannah, 

And darling, diminutive, dainty, Diana. 

But needing no further description just yet 

Than merely to tell 

That the last demoiselle. 
Was 'mongst her acquaintances nick-named '* The 
Pet." 

I said they 'd been waiting expecting their beaux, 

And mentioned the gentlemen too had arrived; 
But some introduction, I rather suppose, 
Is requisite here if it can be contrived. 

Of the gentlemen three 

And especially he 
Whose welcome was such, you might easily see 
He was cock of the roost and a rara avis. 

There was Charley, the beau, 

John, rather slow, 
And Robert, decidedly cockney, " you know." 



.'i8 AU'iUMiN WINDS, 

Who dr()[>ping the " II " in sj)eciking to Hannah, 
'1' 'was liard to decide if he meant her or Anna. 



Now ('harley, a reckk^ss imj)etiious fellow, 

y\t fox hunt or dinner. 
Would sometimes get mellow ; 
Addicted in fact to commit any sell, or 

Practical joke on foe or on friend. 
With or without either motive or end, 
Was what might be termed a masculine sinner. 
Rakish his air and " devil may care," 
I believe in the French it is termed dcbon- 
naire. 

From the city had come, 
And had not yet been home 
From a very e(]uivocal sort of a party. 
Attractively made up of girls and ecarte ; 
And tainted somewluit with l)acc;anal odor, 
Looked jaded and seedy 
.\s though he might need a 
Matutinal drink of brandy and soda. 



FRAGMENT II. 119 

We most of us know, that after the flow 

Of the over-night wine, be it champagne or 
sherry, 

Has been kept up 'till morning in intercourse 
very 
Debghtfully charming, just while we were drinking, 
There 's a penance to do, and a time to go through 
That's extremely distressing, at least while it's 
new, 
And decidedly tends to institute thinking; 

A personal penalty paid for abuse. 
And marked by some such annoying sensation 
As head-ache or heart-burn, of which the relation 
Is almost too much for my muse. 



I20 AUTUMN WINDS. 



FRAGMENT III. ,^) 



When night had cast her mantle o'er the earth, 

And dreary darkness reigned, as at the birth 

Of Light, from Chaos and confusion sprung; 

And in the welkin dome bright stars were hung; 

'I'hc i)alc Moon cast a weak and sickly shade, 

As, scarce half-formed, she strove to light the glade; 

While heavenly quiet reigned o'er all supreme, 

(Fair Nature slumber'd, and enjoy'd her dream — ) 

A gloomy man, in restless, discontented mood, 

Had wandered forth in solitude to brood 

And impious (|uestions raise 'gainst God, who made, 

In wondrous beauty and in peace array 'd, 

A world for man and under his control, 

But formed him subject to an immortal soul. 

'Mid sins and wild excess his life had grown 
"rill shattered Reason totter'd on her throne. 



FRAGMENT III. 121 

Ivike some huge rock, which long had stood secure 
And firm, imbedded in the sandy shore, 
Had brav'd the force that fiercest tempests flung, 
By constant washing of the waves now hung 
Ahnost without foundation. 

"rill scarcely human feeling stirred his breast. 
By Conscier.ce's sting and dark Remorse opprest — 
By Ghosts of buried sins, that crush and blast 
The fairest hopes that Happiness would cast 
'Kre they could form themselves in place — 
Misfortune's gloomy child he'd been from birth. 
For Death's unsparing hand had swept his hearth 
Of relatives on whom he'd placed 
A more than kindred love. So sorrow traced 
\\'ith iron hand, upon his brow her stamp 
Of care ; and Disappointment's chilling damp 
Had blighted early peace. 



22 AUTUMN WINDS. 



JANUARY ist, 1855. 



(10) 



A PROSE POEM, 

Another wave across the tide of Time 
Has rolled ! Another year into the Past 
Has glided by ! 

The hand of Time but lightly touches those 
AVhose hearts are free from care. Time's-footsteps 
Lightly press the soil wh^ere flowery verdure 
Springs, spontaneously, from teeming richness 
Constantly refreshed by good and holy deeds. 
And yet Time's shadows and the frosts of care 
A withering blight must cast. On some, the mark 
So faint as scarcely to be seen : On some, 
Its stamp so deep, that, from the moment 
Of its printing, on each anxious face, the 
World's keen eye can read, in furrow'd lines, 
The record of a sorrowing Past — But rays 
Of sunlight and of brilliant Promise gild 
The Future they illume. 



JANUARY FIRST 1855. 123 

The memories of 
The buried year within the hearts of all 
Are shrined. 'J^o some, with disappointments 
And with sorrows clouded ; the cherished 
Hopes, on whose foundations they had in 
Fancy raised bright, air-build castles for 
Future tenei^^ents of happiness ; have 
Vanished, rs before the raging storm wind's 
Blast the morning mists are driven from the 
Wooded mountain side. 

Nations in their progress, too, are stamped 

By Time's impress ; and this Grand Old Year will. 

Upon the page of History, long be marked 

As one of great event. 

While each proud steamer 
Which old Ocean bears upon her heaving 
Bosom to our shores, is looked with 
Anxious expectations for, as bringing 
Tidings of the stirring deeds that nations 



124 AUTUMN WINDS. 

In the East are now enacting.* The test 
Has come which forever marks supremacy 
Of power 'mongst those whose rivalry so 
Long has stood untried by arms. To the " days 
Of Old " strange contradiction this ! For then 
The Cross against the Crescent was arrayed ; 
And now, the wandering West in silence sees 
The Crescent's turbaned warriors stand 
Beside the armies of two Christian kings, 
In common cause arrayed against another 
Christian Potentate. 

AVhile in this stern 
Relentless war, with its " magnificently 
Grand array ;" where hosts of Europe's mightiest 
Nations are engaged — while daring deeds 
Of arms are done; before which Feudal valor. 
And the storied deeds " of Old " have faded — 
While carnage strews the pleasant fields which 
Ere-while Peace had blest — While countless hordes 
Of ruthless men are scattering woe and 

*The Crimean War. 



JANUARY FIRST, 1855. i^S 

Desolation in their path — while weeping 
Mothers' mourn their stalwart sons destroyed; 
And drooping widows, helpless orphans wait 
In vain for the return of him whose 
Honest toil sustained them, or by whose 
Smile their fireside was cheered — while all 
The thousand ills, by war entailed, are 
Devastating Europe's soil, our own fair 
Land — The land of Freedom and of Promise ! 
The cherished heaven of the heart-sick and 
Oppressed of other lands, is teeming with 
Especial bounties from the hand of God. 

With golden harvests has our land been blest; 
Our peoples' industry its own reward. 
No war ! No Famine ! No anxious dread of 
Separation from our fireside joys, can 
Fright us with ])hantom — peopled fears. 
Peace, with all her blessings, we enjoy ! 
Plenty, as her sister, and her hand-maid, 
Comes, and smiles of Future Promise 
Shine upon our path. 



126 AUTUMN WINDS. 

Have we no thirst for 
Fame ? Such thirst only as the good and free 
Should have ? Not that of conquest for 
Extended power, not of the blood-stained fields 
Not of the ages and the nations long 
Passed by, not of dominion and compulsive 
Sway, where forced obedience to tyrant 
Power may bend the common will to bow 
And cringe before the mandate of a king. 
To augment a Nation's glory by one man's fame. 
Ours the grander claim ; that we ourselves 
('an rule — And by a People's virtue raise 
Our country's name to such high grade, and plant 
Our country's honor on such firm base, that 
After ages shall look back upon our 
Page of fame, to admire the wisdom, which 
Conceived the plan; the Nation, whose firm will 
Sustained it. 

Close in the bands of brotherhood are joined 
The States which form our Great Republic, 
To their number each year adds. Already 
])o the waves of two great oceans wash 



JANUARY FIRSJ, 1CS55. 127 

Our shores. Already has our enterprise, 

In far less time than infant colonies 

By other nations are established, 

Opened mines of countless golden wealth 

Upon the Western Ocean's shores; And 

Already has a proud and splendid city 

Sprung, l^allas like, into being at full growth. 

New territory is each day being peopled 

And new States are constantly laid out 

Where but a few years since, the " foot of white man 

Never trod." Even now, by its roads of iron, 

Is our Eastern sea-board country girded ; 

And the path of progress is so far advanced 

That iron roads, 'ere many years upon 

The tide of Time have rolled, shall join the broad 

Atlantic and Pacific Coasts. 

Each passing year its tribute yields to our 
Prosperity. The " Starry Flag " the breeze 
Of every sea shakes out. Commerce, 
With bounteous hand, is adding larger riches 
To our stores. Wealth multiplies ; and the 



128 AU lUMN WINDS. 

Boons that she confer?:, of cultivation 

And refinement, are growing in inceased 

Proportion. Education is a gift 

To all. The children of the poor and rich, 

Alike, enjoy the boon : and our youth 

Have even in their view the goal they may attain, 

By industry and truth, of competence, 

Of ease, perhaps of fame and of high station. 

Blest with such bounties from the hand of God — 

Of peace, prosperity, a teeming soil, 

Religion, wealth, brave hearts and such liberty 

Of word and deed as Freeman prize, where 

Lil)erty accords with Law, where can 

Another land be found so favored and 

So fair ? — The mystic stories of the East 

Have scarcely pictured dreams in colors 

Bright as our realities. 

And now, as the old year into the Past 
Has glided by, and left such record on 
The page of Time ; and as each New Year is 
Ushered in with promise such as this one 



JANUARY FIRST, 1855. 129 

Gilds, in brilliant prestige, for our Nation's 
Glory, collective weal should compensate 
For such misfortunes and such sorrow 
As some of us have borne. And thankfulness 
To God for boons we have, should fill our hearts 
With pride of Country, and with praise of Him; 
Rather than grief, despair, or dark repining 
At seeming ills which may be shade •,v>.d 
For our good. 



NOTES. 



NoTK I. — " Old Virginia Land!' 

Written in Baltimore, in July 1862, to my wife theii at the 
North. 

Note W.—'' Maryland Battle Song. 

"Nor trust for peace to words." A compromise was made 
on Sunday, April 21, 1861, between the Municipal Authorities 
of Baltimore and the U. S. Government, by which it was 
agreed that the troops, then at Cockneysville on march to the 
Capitol should not pass through the City of Baltimore. 



Note l\\.— "Election Ode." 

Written on the day previous to the Presidential Election 
in 1856, on a bet that I would, within twenty minutes, write 
an " Election Ode," which, without regard to party would be 
published the next morning, in any political paper in New 
York City to which it might be offered. 

The bet was won and the Ode appeared in the N'eiv York 
Express. 

Note IV. — "/;/ Memoriam!' 

The author while spending an evening with a neighbor, a 
German, was requested by him to versify his crudely expressed 
ideas, in memory of a friend and countryman, who had died 
of cholera, and from whose funeral he had but then returned. 

The deceased was highly respected and esteemed for many 
noble traits of character — was a merchant of large wealth, 
and a mason in high standing. 



iNOTES. J3 



Note V.—" The Shipioreckr 

The clipper ship Fanny S. Purley sailed from New York 
for San Francisco in i860. Never heard from. 



NOTK VI.— "r.Wr/j-." 
In answer to the following lines hy an unknown poet. 

" A cloud upon the sky — 
Flowers close their cups, the butterfly his wing, 
The restless birds all cease at once to sing, 

The shivering leaves foretell a storm is nigh ; 
Let the gray evening darken into night, 
To-morrow's sun will only shine more bright. 

Such cloud as these pass by." 

" A cloud upon the heart — 
What pleased of late has lost its charm to-day ; 
The trust undoubting seems misplaced and bold ; 
The kindly words sound distant, stiff and cold ; 
The form remains, the life has passed away ; 
Each shrouded spirit acts its former part. 
Still smile meets smile, but heart is far from heart. 
Will this dark cloud depart ? 

" What wrought the clouds we mourn ? 
Was ii the Irutli, outspoken, love should hide? 
Was it some want of reverence in playful mood, 
Some thought confided, and not understood, 
Some promise broken, or some shock of pride? 
Enough they've risen — grief and tears were vain. 
After this darkness and these bursts of rain. 

Such clouds return, or shall remain." 



NOTES. 



Note VII. — " An hidian Funeral in Mexico" 

On an evening in the Spring of 1850, when a band of Cal- 
ifornia emigrants had encamped on the outskirts of a village, 
between Tampico and San Luis Potosi, and, after a long day's 
march, were sleeping by their watch fires, they were aroused 
by sounds of a large body of men marching towards them, 
singing a strange monotonous dirge, accompanied by shrieks 
and shouts in chorus. 

After the procession had passed their guide informed them 
that it was a Mexican Indian Funeral ; and that the shouts 
and songs were incantations to keep off the demons, who 
the Indians, in their traditional superstitions, believed would 
attempt to take possession of tlie body and soul of the dead. 



Note VIII.— " //.;/<- (9;/." 

Written for my wife, when anxious for her father's safety 
from shipwreck. 

He was drowned on January 23, 1867 ; but the fact was not 
known until a month later. 



Note IX — " Fragment." 

From memory, from " The Sceptic," a poem written many 
years ago — MSS. lost. 

Note X — ''January i, 1S55." 

Written for a New York weekly. Mark the contrast of 
this picture to that of the years of the late civil war 1861 
to 1865. 









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